SNP leader Humza Yousaf has said he does “not believe” that the SNP is operating in a criminal way after the arrest of the party’s treasurer Colin Beattie this morning.
Scotland’s first minister also said he was “surprised when one of my colleagues has been arrested” following the second arrest of a senior SNP figure in the Police Scotland probe into the party’s finances.
Mr Beattie was taken into custody on Tuesday morning and is being questioned by detectives investigating £660,000 fundraised and “ring-fenced” for Scottish independence campaigning.
Questioned by reporters if the SNP was operating criminally, Mr Yousaf told reporters: “No, certainly I don’t believe it is at all, no.”
Asked if he was surprised at Mr Beattie’s arrest, he said: “Well, yes, of course I’m surprised when one of my colleagues has been arrested. It’s a very serious matter, indeed.”
Mr Yousaf said he wanted to discuss “pertinent issues” about Mr Beattie’s role as the SNP treasurer – and his role on the Scottish parliament’s public audit committee – with him whenever he is released by police.
“I’ll have to speak to Colin Beattie. My understanding is he’s still in the police station being questioned,” he told reporters at lunchtime on Tuesday.
“Clearly when he’s off that, I’ll have a word with Colin – not about the live investigation – but clearly there are pertinent issues around public audit committee and of course his roles as national treasurer.”
Earlier this month Nicola Sturgeon’s husband Peter Murrell was arrested in connection with the Operation Branchform police investigation. He was later released without charge pending further investigations.
Ms Yousaf has faced calls from the opposition parties to suspend Ms Sturgeon amid claims she rejected transparency over fundraising and insisted to senior SNP figures that no problems with the party’s finances.
Detectives are investigating the party’s finances have been handed emails showing Ms Sturgeon quashed the idea of a fundraising manager in June 2021, according to Scotland’s Sunday Mail.
The newspaper also published a video in which Ms Sturgeon told the party’s NEC there were no reason for concern with the SNP accounts, warning others to be “very careful” about suggesting there was “any problems”.
Ash Regan – who came last in the SNP leadership contest – has said that she has “some sympathy” with those saying the contest should now be re-run given the ongoing turmoil.
Although she said she wasn’t call for a re-run, she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that “some people” were making that argument, and added: “I do have some sympathy with that argument.”
Ms Reagan said she was “quite shocked” by treasurer Colin Beattie’s arrest “and I think some action should be taken by Mr Yousaf”.
Asked if Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell should be suspended, she told the BBC: “If it is found that people have been involved in something of this situation, until that can be cleared up … they should be suspended from the party.”
But Ms Reagan later clarified that SNP figures should only be suspended if “significant wrongdoing” was found.
